ByAssociated PressApril 16, 2013

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit the northern boundary of Papua New Guinea at 8:55 a.m. local time April 17th (6:55 p.m. EST on April 16th). The epicenter was only 8.1 miles deep (13.0 km), making the 6.8 earthquake a shallow one in geological terms.

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea — A powerful earthquake shook Papua New Guinea's northern coast Wednesday morning, but there was no threat of a widespread tsunami in the Pacific.

The shallow magnitude-6.8 earthquake struck about 19 kilometers (11 miles) east of the small town of Aitape, where disaster authorities have not been able to contact people yet.

It's possible that residents headed to higher ground as soon as they felt the earthquake and were not immediately reachable, said Chris McKee, the assistant director of the Geophysical Observatory in the capital, Port Moresby.